Engine starter



June 28, 1927. 1,633;862

s. l.. KELLY ET A1.

ENGINE sumen Filed mm1, 1925 Y. 2 sneetssnen 1 -Y n 1 fr i u I "LL lgnfuentm Y A umancf-x -lc E l @ndawwfn 004L June 28,1927.

s. L. KELLY ET AL ENGINE STARTER Filed Aug. 1, 1925 2 sheets-,sheet 2Patented June 28, 1927.

Lessen UNITED STATES PATENT` orties.

vSHIERIVIAN L. KELLY AND LAWRENCE E. KOOS, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

ENGINE STARTER.

Application ledAugust 1, 1925. Serial'No. 47,478.

Our invention provides an efficient, durable engine starter having meansfor automatically connecting an electric motor to the shaft of aninternal combustion engine in a manner that will prevent clashing ofgears and for-automatically disconnecting the motor from the shaft whenthe engine acquires speed greaterthan that produced by theelectricmotorythat is, when theengine start-s. The invention hasparticularly for its object to eliminate all means that. depends on theinertial of a gear or other object to rotation, or other movement formaking connection between the starter and the engine and provides apositive means for bringing about the connection and yet without clashof gears.` It thus avoids the necessity of using longitudinally movablegear wheels as commonly 'done in connection with antoniobile engines forstarting the engine and which depend upon their inert-ia to rotation toproduce a longitudinal movement for establishing the required connectionbetween ythe starter andthe engine and eliminates the complicatedmechanism required to secure releasement of the connection through thereturn longitudinal movements of the gear wheels. i y

Our invention may be used for establishing connection between drivingand driven members in mechanisms of different forms and for differentpurposes, but it finds its particular advantage when used for startinginternal combustion engines vof automobiles. The invention may becontainedin constructions'of different forms and to illustrate apractica-l application and present a description of itsv operation, wehave selected a starter Ycontaining the invention as anY enample ofdifferent structures that embody the invention and shall describe thestarter hereinafter. The starter selected for purposes of illustrationis shown in the accom- 'panying drawings. Y i Figure l of the drawingsillustratesl'an end view of the starter and shows a part of a gear wheelof the type commonly used 'in connect-ion with automobile engines andwhich is connected to the shaft of the engine. The starter is shown asconnected to the gear wheel. Fig. 2 illust-rates a top view of parts ofthe Ystarter and the gear wheel shown in FigJl. Fig. 3 illustrates aview of a section takenV on the plane of the line 3 3 indicated in Fig.Q. Fig. 4 illustrates a top view of a clutch member when the clutch is'closed.

Fig. 5 illustrates a view of a sec-tion taken on the plane of the line5-5 indicated in Fie. 4, and illust-rates the means for opening'theclutch to release and permit rotation of one of the pinions of thestarter.

The engine starter shown in the drawings is supported beside the engine'on a suitable table or bracket that is secured to orforms a part of thechassis of the automobile. An electric motor 1 of the type commonly usedin starters, may be secured in position by any suitable means so thatthe axis of its shaft is parallel to the axis of the crank shaft of theengine and in such a position so that it may be connected to the crankshaft of theengine through a suitable gear.y Automobile engines areprovided with the fly wheel to which is secured the ring gear 2 of whicha part is shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3 of the drawings. A pair ofinter-meshing pinions 3 and 4 are supported on the shaft 5 of theelectric lmotor l and havediainetcrs such that when their axes lie inthe plane of the aXis ofthe crank shaft a driving connection will bemade between the electric motor shaft andV the engine crank shaft.` Thepinion 3 is keyed to the shaft 5 of they electric motor l while thepinion 4actsas an idler between `the pinion 3 and the ring gear 2.Looking towards the motor, the pinion 3, has acounter-clockwisenmovement. The pinion 4 has a clockwise movement whichproduces a counter-clockwise movement in the shaft of the engine whenthe connection has been established through the gear wheels.

The pinion 4 is normally disconnected from the ring gear 2 and theconnection is automatically established; when the shaft 5 of theelectric motor l is rotated. In order to automatically establish thisconnection the pinion 4 is supported on a shaft 6 that is secured in ablock or arm 7. ,The block 7 is supported yon the end `of the'shaft 5 insuch a manner that the shaft 5 will rotate the block 7 exceptl when theblock 7 has been rotated so as to connect the engine crank shaft withthe shaft 5 through the pinions 3 and 4 and the gear 2. The end of theshaft 6 is provided with a clutch 8` having the parts 9 and 10. The part9 is secured to the end of the shaft- 6 while the part 10 is movable onthe shaft 6. rThe parts 9 and l() have oppor,- ing cam shaped orinclined surfaces that tend to force the part l0 against the face ofthepinion 4 or to release the pinionl 4 according to the direction ofrotation of thefpart l0 relative to the part 9. The clutch thus forms ameans for causing frictional engagement between the pinion t and itssupport. The part 1() of the clutch is normally maintained in positionto frictionally hold the pinion 1l by means of a spring 11 thatsupported between a finger 12 that protrudes from the part 10 and a boss13 that extends from 4the block 7 below the pinions 3 and 4. Thus whentheshaft 5 is rotated the block 7 will be carried counter-clockwisedownward so as to place the axes of the pinions 3 and 1l in the plane ofthe axis of the crank shaft of the engine which will occur when theblock 7 strikes a protruding shelf 14 formed on the end of the frame ofthe motor 1. Ordinarily the block 7 will strike the shelf 14 with aconsiderable force which will iai' the crank shaft of the engine loosein case any guinmed oil should cause it to stick. This will reduce theforce required to start the engine. As the block 7 strikes the shelf14T, a finger 15 that extends from the part 10 of the clutch, willstril-re a pin 16 that is secured to the end of the frame or casing ofthe electric motor 1. The pin 16 is located in the path of inovement ofthe linger 15 and so as to cause the clutch part 10 to release itsfrictional engagement with the pinion l after the teeth of the pinionf1- mesh with the pinion of the ring gear 2. The pinion 3 will cause thepinion i to rotate clock-wise while the block 7 is movingcounter-clockwise and thus the pinion t will mesh with the teeth of thering gear 2 without the clashing of the teeth. The rotation of thepinion 3 will thus be communicated to the crank shaft through the idlert and the fly wheel of the engine.

Rotation of the crank shaft will, when the proper ignition conditions ofthe engine exist, cause the engine to operate as and in the manner wellknown in the art. lllhen the driving pressure is released by thestarting of the engine the spring 18 will raise the block 7 and carrythe pinion /l substantially out of mesh with the ring gear 2. lf thenthe circuit through the motor is opened, the block 7 will be raised bythe operation of the spring 18 which is pressed against the shaft ltatone end and is coiled around the boss 19 on which the shaft 5 is locatedaround the part 9 of the clutch 8 that is secured to the end of thebearing shaft 6. Thus the block 7 together with the pinion 4 iselastically raised so as to disconnect the pinion 4 entirely from thering gear 2. At the saine time that the block 7 is raised. the finger 15is separated from the pin 16 and the clutch, by the operation of thespring 11 on the finger 12, causes the part 10 to frictionally engagethe face of the pinion which places it in condition for causing theelectric motor to be automatically connected with the engine upon thesubsequent operation of the shaft of the motor.

lessees tion on the stub shaft and means for releasing the idler when itis carried into mesh with the gear wheel by the rotation of the pinionand the member.

2. In an engine starter, a motor shaft, a pinion on the motor shaft, anarm located on the motor shaft, a stub shaft connected to the arm, anidler pivotally supported on the stub shaft and meshingwith the pinion,a clutch member rotatably supported on the stub shaft for locking theidler from rotation on the stub shaft and means for rotating the clutchmember to release the idler when it is moved to mesh with the ring gear0f the engine.

8. In an engine starter a motor shaft, a pinion connected to the motorshaft, an arm rotatably supported on the motor shaft, a stub shaftsecured to the arm, an idler located on the stub shaft and meshing withthe pinion, a spring pressed clutch member located on the stub shaft andcarried by the arm, a stop for engaging the clutch member to release theidler and permit rotation of the idler on the stub shaft when the idlerengages tlie ring gear ofthe engine. y

et. In an engine starter, a motor shaft, a pinion connected to the motorshaft, an arm located on and rotatable relative to the motor shaft, astub shaft carried by the arm, an idler located on the stub shaft andmeshing with the pinion, a clutch member located oii the stub shaft forfrictionally engaging the pinion, a means for rotating the clutch memberon the stub shaft to releas the pinion when the arm has moved to causethe pinion to mesh with the ring gear.

5. In an engine starter, a motor shaft, a pinion secured to the motorshaft, a spring pressed arm located on the motor shaft, a stub shaftcarried by the arm, an idler supported on the stub shaft andmeshing'vvith the pinion, a clutch member pivotally supported on thestub shaft, a spring for operating the clutch member to frictionallyengage the idler to prevent rotation of the idler on the stub shaft, thesaid clutch member and spring being carried by the arm, a.

stop for engaging the clutch member to release the idler when the idlermeshes the ring gear of the engine.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names to thisspecification.

SHERMAN L. KELLY. LAWRENCE E, AKOOS.

